Ask anyone on the street whether they're a cat or a dog person, and chances are, they've got a quick answer. Like the choice between Coke or Pepsi, or chocolate or vanilla, how you respond to cats versus dogs could say a lot about you.

"Dog people are a little more outgoing," a dog owner at the Westminster Dog Show told ABC News. "Cat people are a little more aloof, because that's just how cats are."

Karen Hessel, the proud "mama" to 3-year-old Ripley, a golden retriever, said, "They say that cats are very intelligent but I haven't seen that yet in a cat, but I know my dog is brilliant."

Over at the Black Diamond Cat Show in Kimberton, Pa., cat owners were telling a different story, saying intelligence is the key difference between dog and cat owners. Cat people, they say, are simply smarter.

[Snip]

A major study at the University of Texas shows that there really is a difference between "dog people" and "cat people."

Those who define themselves as "dog people" are more extroverted, more agreeable and more conscientious than self-described "cat people." Those who love felines, though, were found to be less traditional, more creative and more neurotic.

My dog doesn 't stalk my goldfish, he curls up beside the brooder while the new peeps grow (I think he likes the heat lamp), he let's us know if someone has come visiting (strangers are a different bark than for friend or family), he greets us with kisses when we get home from anywhere no matter how long or short the separation, he smiles, he was born 9 or so years ago at the neighbors house (that is no longer there) and he patrols that area still often seen sitting like Balto surveying his charge .. the mayor of the neighborhood (we live rural and that 'perch' is on a hill .. very picturesque),when my Filipina wife came to the house for the first time two years ago, Bubba instinctiveky knew she needed more than just me and my relationships and adopted her as his resposability,

and his name is Bubba, some black Lab lookin' Heinze 57.

5
posted on 03/10/2012 5:34:02 AM PST
by knarf
(I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true)

You got it! I’m not a psychopath (at least, my psychiatrist says I’m not *quite* there yet :-) ), but listening to a Jack Russell terrier barking in the distance will get me to devising clever but cruel forms of animal torture in my head...

12
posted on 03/10/2012 5:57:41 AM PST
by Nervous Tick
(Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)

Birds make excellent watchers, because they give different vocalizations depending on what they see. I can tell who is coming home by my birds who look out the window and start to great the different members of my family. They also comment on the wild life in my back yard, distinguishing between scary hawks and owls, and friendly deer and possums, etc.

The best calls are when it is something they have not seen before.

The dog doesn’t even wake up.

13
posted on 03/10/2012 6:00:45 AM PST
by LachlanMinnesota
(Which are you? A producer, a looter, or a moocher of wealth?)

Actually, I blame their owners. A lot of people with dogs are really inconsiderate about their damned animals barking. They must think people around them ENJOY the “sweet music” coming from their pwecious neglected mutts’ throats.

15
posted on 03/10/2012 6:06:00 AM PST
by Nervous Tick
(Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)

...but listening to a Jack Russell terrier barking in the distance will get me to devising clever but cruel forms of animal torture in my head...

...rivaled only by those small yapping dogs who bare their teeth and throw themselves at the window glass when you walk by their owner's car in the parking lot. I always wondered what they would do if the glass disappeared while they were 'performing'...the dog HAS to know I could remove his head like a 40-watt bulb from a defective socket.

I was part of the horse crowd in my younger days, and it seemed the horse people all had JR’s.....I came to the conclusion they are dogs with a severe case of ADHD and needed psycho therapy .....it also did not help that cute dog, Eddie on Frazier caused people to adopt those dogs.....fast forward to my current life, 3 weeks ago today we adopted a dog from a no kill shelter and he is clearly a JR mix....when I saw him he captured my heart but my head was saying “are you nuts?”.....as it turns he is a great dog and the terrier bark gene is missing.....

JR’s can be great dogs but they need the right owners that provide a stimulating environment for them or those dogs will find their own “fun”

I love jack Russels! We have had 10 of them in the last 15 years, about half were rescues. They aren't all hyper, the rough coated Jacks have a calmer nature. We have 3 now and they are great watch dogs, no one sneaks up on us.

I work long hours and don’t want to walk a dog when I get home. My neighbors dog would howl at all hours and I wanted to put my foot up his kazoo everytime he started. One night he started at 6:30pm and howled until after 4am. He’s a Jack Russell! He now only barks at squirrels, rabbits, mailmen, tree leaves, the wind, his own gas, airplanes, children, clouds, and anything else that moves.

I had a Jack Russell “Terrorist”, too! I’ve often said that if JRs were a large dog breed, they would rule the world. Megs kept me on my toes .... lots of fun. She was a rough-coat .... looked like someone had plugged her into an electrical socket and she could definitely act that way, too. I had horses so she had lots to keep her busy - quite the mouser ... I took her through a couple of levels of obedience training (several folks told me that JRs couldn’t be obedience trained - ha!) and she was one of if not the best working dog in the class ... smart as a whip and she loved to “work”. We had a few arguments over who was ‘pack leader’ once in a while, but not often .... she growled at me as a puppy and all hell broke loose (for her) so usually all I had to do was say her name in a sharp tone & stare at her and she’d back down. She died in her sleep at 13 .... sure do miss her lively, happy spirit around here.

26
posted on 03/10/2012 6:35:29 AM PST
by MissMagnolia
(Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. (M.Thatcher))

I own a pug and they a definitely one of the dumbest creatures creatures ever put on God’s green earth. And also one of the most loveable. Losing her will be like losing one of the family. It WILL be losing one of the family. A good dog is the closest thing we will ever see to true unconditional love.

“...that cute dog, Eddie on Frazier caused people to adopt those dogs...”

Yes, my friend who is really an all-animal type person said you have to be careful with those dogs and they are not naturally how Eddie is on the show. They are very hyper in real life. They are a good size for a dog, though.

I’m totally a cat person, but if I ever did have a dog, about that size would be good for me.

The rough/broken coats come from other terriers that were bred into the Jack Russel/Fox Terrier line over the years. They are the best but people always ask what kind of dogs. They are not very well known. One of my long coated ones is a super mouser, all he wants to do is hunt. The short haired typical looking Jack is a talented ball player and defiantly more high strung than the long coats. Yesterday at the vet clinic I saw a precious dog that would pass for a broken coated Jack. She was a Chihuahua West Highland Terrier cross. I could have stolen that dog! :D

I’m a cat lady from stem to stern. I have four right now. Jack, my little soldier, who likes to play cat-wants-in, cat-wants-out all weekend. Fluff, the Queen, who wants a taste of whatever I’m eating, and likes to drink out of the bathtub tap. Skeek, the writhing satiny sidewinder snake, who squirms wildly when you pet her, and runs in terror from anything that makes a rustling noise, and Angel the all-white kitty who will play fetch-the-toy-mouse with me. I mean, she literally fetches it and brings it back. They make me happy.

Get a Jack Russell ‘Puddin’. They are shorter and squatter than a standard JRT. Technically, they’re not show quality because of their shortened stature.

We have one and he is sure a cuddly little guy. He’s around 15 pounds and sleep is his favorite hobby. When it comes time to walk or go in the car though, he is a ball of energy. Puddin’s are kind of the best of both worlds between a dog and a cat. We’ve had everything from a Newfoundland to a Russian blue cat. I’ve loved them all, but our pint-sized guy has really stolen my heart.

A good dog is a member of the family...You are at best a convenience for a cat. A dog will comfort you when you’re down...A cat will simply find something less depressing to focus on. A dog makes every entrance after a long work day a red carpet one. A cat just doesn’t care unless it’s hungry. My dog doesn’t like liberals, and makes them uncomfortable with growling and pointed looks. My cat IS a liberal. If there’s a zombie apocalypse, my dog will be right there with me by my side as I try to survive...My cat will just say I’m on my own.

Bless you for adopting a mutt! (I’m a mutt; with one exception, all of my dogs were mutts. Most of them were strays. We have a little stray that looks like a cross between a Chihuahua and a corgi.) Mixed breeds are like a box of chocolates....

Cats are just cool. Smart, graceful, clean, dependent, silly, quiet, intelligent, sweet and all of mine fetch. Dogs are so annoying and need to be kept outside. They are always smelly and love to roll in dirt, they are needy, clingy and need to be let out all the time...not to mention they are slobs. My friend got a Jack Russel to compliment her other dog and when the new dog at the poop of the other dog, she puked and took it back. LOL. I HATE going to someones house and their stupid dogs jump up on you and they think you want to pet it. One dog scratched up my legs and the owner thought nothing about it. They drool and are stupid....unless trained like puppets. I have had dogs growing up and loved them, but they weren’t mine...and i would only get one to keep outside in a fenced yard all the time as a guard animal...period. Give me the quiet, small, soft lovable kitty any day.

Too much dumb generalization in this article, IMO. I’ve always been a big animal lover, including dogs and cats, but cats have the edge with me. And I consider myself pretty outgoing-—not at all aloof.

My wife and I have cats and dogs,Our German Shepherds get along just fine with the cats.I think that the key to success with dogs is training and also temperment.We also have 7 horses,who get along fine with the cats,but don’t think much of the dogs.A couple of the mares would love to kill the dogs if they got a chance.

50
posted on 03/10/2012 8:23:34 AM PST
by Farmer Dean
(stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.